Motorbike riders thread

man, that seems like an eternity ago now. much has happened between now and then.

I'm due to get my full licence in August next year and I've been thinking about what to upgrade to. my tastes have fluctuated constantly since the start of this thread. I'm pretty sure I don't want a heavy-ass couch-on-wheels cruiser (the bike in the OP looks so ugly to me now), nor do I want a plasticky supersport. I really like nakeds that are somewhat in-between, in terms of look, performance and riding style. bikes with a bit of history and character are nice.

anyway I saw a Ducati Diavel parked in the street the other day and initially thought "that's it, that's the one".

love that look (badonk! )

however, she's quite big and heavy at 240kg wet weight. 1200cc, so the power-to-weight ratio essentially makes this Ducati's cruiser model. a lot of ex-Harley riders seem to be going for them. also they're expensive, starting at something like $20k AUD, and are probably expensive to maintain as well (frequent tire replacements?).

later I saw something else in the Ducati line which seemed more suited, which is the Streetfighter 848.

same look but leaner. lighter and more manoeuvrable at 200kg. 848cc, more than enough power for me. cheaper. I met a guy at a servo just yesterday riding one of these, was pretty impressive.

this is currently my number 1 choice. what do the rest of you riders - manmower, megapussi, jasonD - think? are y'all Duc fans? they'd be more expensive to maintain compared to the Eastern brands, no? btw I'm not a big fan of the Monsters, something about them just turns me off for some reason that I can't even put my finger on.

other contenders at positions 2 and 3 respectively are the Triumph Street Triple 675 and the BMW F 800 R, which are similar nakeds.

the Street Triple in particular is quite attractive for its price (like half the cost of the Diavel):

The Diavel is a bit much, but you know that already. With all the power it makes I'd hesitate to call it a cruiser. The only bike on the market I'd compare it to is Yamaha's V-Max, and I'd call those two dragsters or muscle bikes personally. Real rocketships in a straight line, not built to handle particularly well in the corners but to provide drama and sensations no doubt.

The Streetfighter 848 is a lot more sporty in the sense that it's suspension and weight distribution are designed to make it turn quickly. It's also already at the upper end of bikes I would consider, on the verge of scaring me. Have you sat on one? The ergos are all wrong for me, it would probably make me ride too fast everywhere to get the weight off my wrists.

If you've got the money and the self control I'd say go for it. They are great looking and sounding bikes. I love Italian bikes, and I love twins. It's got that je ne sais quoi "character" over the Triumph and the BMW, but it's probably a bit trickier to ride too. I couldn't tell you anything about the cost of maintenance per se, but I know the intervals are fairly long these days and the newer Ducati engines are a lot more reliable than they were 10 years ago.

That BMW is probably the tamest bike in your list. Plenty of power, but lower revving and far less peaky than the other bikes. Love or hate design, personally I like it. Great fuel mileage with that parallel twin, too. Also probably the pick of the bunch if you plan on adding luggage or other accessories at some point.

The Street Triple has been trouncing its direct competitors in sales as well as tests/reviews for years now. Supposedly one of the best bikes on the market regardless of price. Haven't ridden one but from what I've read it's the kind of bike that everyone gets along with, easy to ride well. If you're seriously considering it, try to score a test ride on one, if it lives up to its reputation that might sway your decision.

nah, haven't sat on a Streetfighter or any of the other candidates yet so I don't know any of them would feel exactly. I should've asked the dude at the servo but it didn't occur to me til later. test rides will be happening as soon as I'm legally allowed.

yeah, the Street Triple looks really tempting.

my friend's dad (a surgeon) called motorbike riders "organ donors"

but he was a massive asshole so hey, ride on.

yeah but you want this, I know you do

Not in red I don't.

Black or green or purple and you're dead right.

i had a motorbike when i was 17. it was a pile of crap but really fun experience. i'd ride it around the country lanes etc and it sounded like an angry hairdryer.

this is a rough approximation of the bike i had (newer model than i had)

  On 12/10/2013 at 9:54 AM, MadameChaos said:

angry hairdryer.

a badass angry hairdryer

I test rode a Ducati Monster yesterday, the 659 one.

compared to my little 250 it fucking flies. I was doing 100ks before I even knew what was going on. had a blast on the highway. I was really getting used to it. I dunno, I gave the Monsters a bit of shit before (mainly for the looks) but I could see myself owning one of those. it's crazy that they're learner-legal, I think they just get in under the power-to-weight limits.

I also sat on the Diavel, which in spite of its weight feels pretty easy to manoeuvre, but is still essentially too massive -- and the Streetfighter, which felt really right except for the fact that it's so high up that I can't keep a flat foot in stationary position. only the tips of my toes touch the ground, and I'm not exactly short. it's kinda weird how high it is. other than that the ergos felt right, it felt great in riding position.

I like the Monster's simplicity, light weight and air-cooled engine. It's a shame they went with liquid cooling on the new 1200. A beautiful ribbed engine like the one you posted is what belongs in that bike, not the black blob that's in the 1200. I mean the whole thing is so 'naked' looking that the engine is/was an integral part of the aesthetics.

There's a lot of macho prejudice around these parts about them being a fashion accessory or a poser's bike or garage queens or whatever, probably undeserved/irrelevant. I'd ride one in a heartbeat, but haven't had the pleasure yet.

I miss being able to put my feet down flat too. I kind of underestimated how much more confidence that gives you in tight low speed maneuvers. That's one reason why my eventual next bike might be a standard/naked again rather than a motard type.

  On 2/9/2014 at 11:21 AM, usagi said:

I test rode a Ducati Monster yesterday, the 659 one.

 

 

compared to my little 250 it fucking flies. I was doing 100ks before I even knew what was going on. had a blast on the highway. I was really getting used to it. I dunno, I gave the Monsters a bit of shit before (mainly for the looks) but I could see myself owning one of those. it's crazy that they're learner-legal, I think they just get in under the power-to-weight limits.

 

I also sat on the Diavel, which in spite of its weight feels pretty easy to manoeuvre, but is still essentially too massive -- and the Streetfighter, which felt really right except for the fact that it's so high up that I can't keep a flat foot in stationary position. only the tips of my toes touch the ground, and I'm not exactly short. it's kinda weird how high it is. other than that the ergos felt right, it felt great in riding position.

Hi! If you are considering the monster or especially the speed triple, I´d also check out the new Yamaha mt-09. It looks like it´s going to be a classic bike. Heard it´s really easy to handle, and the power to weight ratio is awesome. My brother already ordered one (he had the ducati hypermotard before that). my own trusted Honda is disassembled, I am painting it and fixing suspension and doing some minor mods.

ride on!

^ came across that one in my searches. it looks really good. would be really keen to hear how your brother goes with it.

never rode one sadly. looks like so much fun. id love to ride some back country roads, or tour europe or something, but they are hella dangerous. you take a big risk buying a motor cycle

just did a test ride on a Kawa 650LR. fun but not my style of bike. the guy from the shop leading the ride treated me like an idiot. "can you do a u-turn?" the fuck.

i can't wait for the earth to completely depopulate so that I can safely ride a motorcycle

  On 4/5/2014 at 7:38 AM, usagi said:

just did a test ride on a Kawa 650LR. fun but not my style of bike. the guy from the shop leading the ride treated me like an idiot. "can you do a u-turn?" the fuck.

fun looking bike, but a bit pointless unless you mostly ride on gravel and dirt. how about an z 750r?

anyway, my honda is ready. had it painted and fixed this and that. now i am stuck with this one for another year because it came out so nice...turned the photo upside down for you Australians.

upside-down jokes make Australians go nice bike though

it was a 650R that I rode actually, not an LR, don't know where I got the L from. one of these:

closely related to the ER6n but with a different front. so yeah, not really an offroad bike. it's definitely not my style either way (I like nakeds), it was actually uncomfortable to ride. and I really dislike that big boxy front.

also, on the same day as I rode that bike, I also checked out the Yamaha MT-09 you mentioned. or was it an 08? 08/09? can't remember. anyway, great bike. felt right sitting on it. it's definitely a candidate, I'll test ride it when I get the chance.

on another note, I had my first accident last week as I was riding to work in the morning. got knocked over by a 4WD at low speed. it was my fault though. really wasn't too bad as far as bike accidents go, I'm pretty thankful. I skinned my left knee and have some residual aches in my right shoulder, and my bike needs fixes to one of the footpegs, but besides that damage was minimal and nothing else came of it.

realised I didn't update thrad.

6 months after the last post, I got my full licence, and then went off on a two week trip to Italy for a friend's wedding where I rented a Ducati Monster 1200 and toured around the country, going from Anzio down on the south coast up to Milan.

I rode through the streets of Rome in peak traffic on multiple occasions, which was insane, especially on a 1200 for the first time. it was essentially like running with the bulls.

overall an amazing experience and a first for me in many ways.

now it was not my intention before to actually buy one of these. I liked Monsters but I wasn't really thinking of owning one, in fact I had my eye on either the Streetfighter - which I'd enthused about earlier itt - or maybe a Yamaha MT09.

however after spending two weeks on the Monster in Italy and coming back to Aus, I realised it was the perfect bike for me, powerful, versatile and aesthetically bonerific. I could ride it to and from work everyday, I could tour long distances on it, and I could throw it on a track if I wanted to. and the new 1200 body even has a smaller trellis webbing, which was pretty much my only beef with the Monster's looks.

so I got the Monster 821, the 1200's little brother.

while the 1200 was a total joy on Italian highways, it's probably too big for Sydney streets. the 821 is more suitable for city riding (>75% of my riding time), inherits all the good shit from the 1200 including the new styling, and is a refinement on the 1200 as well.

I've been riding this for 9 months and it is the one thing I can count on my life that makes me happy.

edit: also it sounds fucking amazing and gives me palpitations even now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6S8K0B2Erg

riding thru Italia is serene, although city riding can be dangerously chaotic enough in a car

love Nortons, fuckin pricey doe, favourite is the Commando 961/SE,,,,,,,,,,mmmmmmmmmm dribble

yeah Nortons are ace

  On 8/1/2015 at 11:03 PM, cwmbrancity said:

riding thru Italia is serene, although city riding can be dangerously chaotic enough in a car

 

love Nortons, fuckin pricey doe, favourite is the Commando 961/SE,,,,,,,,,,mmmmmmmmmm dribble

 

 

You have fine taste.

this is the most beautiful custom I've ever seen, a remix of the new Ducati Scrambler by Holographic Hammer

not overdone, not underdone, just perfect.

yeah it's pretty amazing. there's some pretty epic looking bikes around at the moment, if you've got the moula.

is that riding position comfortable though, i don't ride bikes so don't really know, but you'd think having to hunch forward wouldn't be good for your back.

nah, that is a relatively easy riding position. you sit more upright on the Scrambler than on, say, a superbike like Ducati's Panigale, which has a lot more forward lean.

(edit: actually looking at the handlebars on the custom above, it does seem to have been made more sportier and forward-leaning than the stock Scrambler. so I dunno, really.)

there's a really useful site called cycle-ergo.com which shows you, using models, your seating position on any given bike, including your forward lean, how bent your knees are, if your feet would be flat on the ground, etc. really handy.